January, 2005 - Nr. 1
New Year’s Chores
It’s January. The "Monday" of the year is here. It’s that time of year when we have to go on a diet---(the one that most of us have scheduled for Monday.) And of course we must obviously analyze the damage from the holidays, mop up, scrub, and do lots of other chores. One such chore is what I want to talk about. It is a topic that I am positive no other columnist has ever discussed. It is one of my own favourite household chores: vacuuming.
In December I held a children’s music recital in our "Mozart Room" at home. (It’s a large room with lovely Viennese furniture.) On the baby grand piano, my eight young students eagerly played their songs for the audience----all their parents and relatives.) To reward the children for their participation, we threw a "Concert after-party". Recitals are always a fulfilling and rewarding event. It was a night of gratitude, praise, party dresses, music, and wild children "hoovering" Christmas treats while practically playing a game of rugby between the throngs of socializing adults precariously sipping on coffees. But almost more fulfilling than the recital was vacuuming up the wreckage the next morning.
For a housewife or assistant housekeeper like I am, there is something so thrilling about the tinkle of, let’s say, birdseeds up the hose of the vacuum. So can you imagine what that next morning’s cleaning had in store for me? It made for an unparalleled vacuuming experience! I got to suck up chunks of cookies, whole peanuts with the shell still on, and candy wrappers of every colour. Best of all was the "clinketty" made by the plastic chards of what used to be a drinking cup that a 6-year-old pianist tried to eat so the other children might admire her.
I
recently told Rebecca (my cousin who lives with me) how vacuuming up little
things seems to brighten up a boring day---(The gravel left at doorways, the
shreddie and the stiff craisin from breakfast dinging and thumping up the
silver vacuum hose…what a delight!) Since then she has left me secret noisy
messes just to make me smile as I do my chores every morning. I found that
really profoundly sweet of her. So, just to dote on my cute relative, I draw
her pictures or write her name on the carpet with the vacuum. (I perfected
carpet art when I was very small---at my childhood home, we had special old
trampled carpet upstairs that could be scratched in a certain direction for
fine results.)
Vacuuming is a great chore. It’s good exercise, you can
meditate all the while----and you can even suck up the nick-knacks around
the hou
se
that you’ve never really liked! (ha ha hee!)
When I discover some happy delight in the New Year’s chore of Monday dieting, just for you, I’ll write an article about it!
Happy New Year!!
Rachel A.I. Seilern
Comments to: rachel@echoworld.com
